Nightmares And Monsters
by Demonic Irken
Summary: He heard a voice beside him, kind and soft. Gentle. "What is it? What's wrong?" It asked. The child turned toward the source of this voice. His plush toy, a gold-colored bear whom the child referred to as 'Golden Freddy,' or sometimes just 'Freddy' for short, sat on the bed, its eyes glowing white in the darkness of the room. "The monsters are coming," he responded fearfully.
1. Chapter 1

Lightning flashed across the sky, creating jagged streaks that lit up the night. A storm was brewing, and rain pounded against A house sat nestled in a small town, its inhabitants sleeping soundly in their beds, undisturbed by the howling wind that was causing the glass windows to rattle violently in their frames.

A child, Benjamin, sat up in his bed with wide, frightened eyes, panting heavily and soaked in his own sweat. He could hear the loud banging sound that was not from the storm. No, this was something much, much worse. Then the scratching started, claws raking against his bedroom door, and his pulse quickened, and his breathing came out in panicked gasps as he drew back the blankets and prepared himself for another night of running from his monsters.

He heard a voice beside him, kind and soft. Gentle. " _What is it? What's wrong?_ " It asked. The child turned toward the source of this voice. His plush toy, a gold-colored bear whom the child referred to as 'Golden Freddy,' or sometimes just 'Freddy' for short, sat on the bed, its eyes glowing white in the darkness of the room.

"They're back," he squeaked out, his voice dripping with absolute fear and dread, "The monsters are coming."

He grabbed his flashlight from the floor beside his bed, flicking it on and sweeping the beam of light across his room, searching for the monsters that had come to kill him. The closet door creaked open, and the child raced over to shine his light into it before the hook-handed fox jumped out of it and tore into him.

He slammed the closer shut, running over to his bedroom door to check the hallways. He stopped and listened for the breathing sounds that the monsters emitted when they were standing just outside his door. Hearing nothing and seeing no threats in the halls at that moment, he closed the door and checked the other hallway, seeing nothing.

The darkness hung over him like a thick fog, his nightmares dwelling within the inky blackness, keeping him prisoner in its cold, evil grip. He was trapped in this room until morning, when the light would free him from this nightmare. He only hoped that his family was alright by themselves. He hoped the monsters hadn't caught them yet.

The closet door began to open again, and as Benny went to close it, one of his bedroom doors began opening as well. Knowing that he could not prevent both monsters from getting in at the same time, but wanting to try anyway, he instead quickly shut his closet door and rushed over to shut the other door, but just as he reached it, the door swung open and forcefully slammed against the wall, making a dent in the plaster.

The child stood there, rooted to the spot as the hulking figure of an animatronic bear stood in the doorway. The bear's suit was ripped and tattered in several places on its body, exposing wires and circuits, some of which were sparking and creaking with strain and damage. Parts of its endoskeleton were also visible, rusted and cracked, slick with blood and oil. It's teeth were as sharp as knives, and just as long, gleaming as the moon's light reflected off of them.

Benny quivered with fright, as the monster stomped up to him and roared, loud enough to wake the dead. The child screamed and darted to his bed, snatching up Freddy and covering himself with his blankets, shaking and crying with fear as he retreated to his 'safe place' under his covers. He buried his face into Freddy's soft fibers, listening carefully for growling or breathing.

" _Don't be afraid. They are not real,_ " Freddy said, attempting to soothe the child's fears. " _Your mind is only tricking you into believing that what you see before you is real, it is distorting your reality. This is all in your head."_

"Can you see and hear them, too? No one else can."

" _Yes, I can hear them. They are something to fear, certainly. They are the stuff of nightmares. They are incapable of harming you, though. That's the good news."_

Benny was about to respond to his friend, when he heard heavy footsteps enter his room and stop just shy of him, at the foot of his bed. He held his breath and tried to be as quiet as he could. The footsteps moved, this time stopping directly beside him.

He held Freddy tighter against his chest, his trembling and breathing becoming worse as he could hardly breathe now. Freddy gazed up at his human friend, his eyes glowing softly in the dark. " _Relax. Deep breaths. You can get through this, you just need to calm down before you damage yourself even further."_

"I…I can't, Freddy. The monsters are gonna get me, and they're gonna stuff me into a suit. They're going to kill me," Benny whimpered, gasping silently as he struggled to breathe.

" _I will not let them harm you, Benny,"_ His friend whispered, " _Lay with me, and I will show you what your mind cannot. Your head is displaying to you false images, things that no one, especially a child like you, should ever see."_

The monster by his bed roared again, and Benny flinched and screamed again, covering his ears in a desperate move to protect himself. He lay down in his bed, burying his head in his pillows and crying. His plush snuggled up against his chest, reaching up to gently stroke his child's face with a clawed hand, " _Don't cry. I am here with you. There is no need for you to be scared anymore. Just close your eyes, and this all will stop. The monsters will go away, and you will be safe, I promise you."_

Benny did as he was instructed, closing his eyes, and waited. Five seconds went by, then ten, then twenty. Nothing changed. He could still hear the monsters roaming the house, and the animatronic bear still stood in the same spot he had been in for the last few minutes. Benny opened his eyes. "It's not working, Freddy. They're still here."

" _They are still here with us because you are still scared. They are feeding off of your fear, and they will not leave until you realize that they cannot harm you. Until then, they will remain here, leaving you trapped in this house for all of eternity."_

"How do I make them stop? How do I make the monsters go away?"

" _I will help you with that. First, you will need to get out from under your blankets."_

Benny's eyes widened in fear, and he began shivering from a combination of fear and cold. "NO! No, please don't make me! I don't want to," He whispered, his voice quiet and scared.

" _I will keep you safe,_ " Freddy responded soothingly, as he nuzzled the child's arm, " _Don't be scared. I will not leave you, but you have to do this if you want them to go away,"_

Benny shook his head, tears sliding down his face. "I can't. I don't want to die. My family will-"

" _Your parents cannot help you, and I will remind you that they cannot see these things. They will only tell you that it is all a bad dream, and when they leave, the monsters will return to us. Nothing will change that."_ Feeling his shivers, he placed a hand on Benny's forehead, " _You're cold._ "

Benny did not respond, as he heard yet another monster enter his room. He slowly peeked out of his blankets to see which one it was. This particular one was a lavender colored bunny, its ears long and tattered, a bow tie around its neck. Like the other animatronics, its suit was also ripped and ruined, with huge pieces of its endoskeleton exposed in various places on its body, and its teeth were long and sharp, its mouth hanging open on broken jaws.

The robot's eyes were milky white, and its hands ended in long, knife-like claws. There was nothing covering its chest cavity, as it was ripped open, and exposed the still working innards of the beast as it sparked and twitched violently, growling low and deep, its damaged voice box causing the sounds coming from the device to be garbled, static- filled, and warped. The child gasped and quickly retreated back under his blankets in fear.

" _I know this is difficult for you to believe, and I know that you fear them, but please trust me,"_ Freddy gently placed a claw under Benny's chin and lifted it so that the child was staring into his glowing eyes, the white light emitting from them doing little to comfort him, " _They are only hallucinations that your mind has created to frighten you. The monsters that you see before you are imaginary, they are not really there. You have to believe me."_

"But they're so mad at me, Freddy. They're so mad, and I don't know what I did to them. I don't remember. What did I do?"

" _They are not mad at you, Benny. They are just desperate to have you. They want to turn you into one of them._ " The golden bear was silent for a moment, choosing his next words carefully, so as not to scare his friend further. " _I need you to do something for me."_

"Okay. What is it?" Benny whispered.

Freddy reached up and wiped away the tears that fell from the child's eyes. " _I need you to reach out and place your hand on the monster that is standing beside the bed. Can you do that for me?"_

"But then they'll know where we're hiding," Benny responded, turning his head to momentarily glance in the direction of the animatronic bunny that towered over him, noting its red eyes glowing eerily in the darkness, sending a shiver down the boy's spine.

" _Everything will be alright. You are safe with me,"_ Freddy whispered, snuggling closer against Benny as his shivering intensified, attempting to warm his friend with his own heat. " _Go on. Reach out._ "

The child did as he was asked, extending a shaking arm to place it upon the thing that stood before him, and gasped with surprise when his hand went straight through it. "Freddy, they're like ghosts!"

" _It is as I said, they cannot harm you. If they had been able to do so, you and I would not be here now. It is the same with the rest of them."_

"Do you think that it's safe to get out of bed now?" Benny wondered.

" _Yes_ ," His friend responded immediately. He pointed into the darkness. " _Do you see that lamp in the corner of the room?"_

Benny followed his gaze. "Yeah, I do. What about it?"

" _I need you to plug it into that outlet there. The light will make the monsters go away."_

The child nodded and got out of his bed, holding his plush in his arms. He retrieved the lamp and plugged it into the outlet by his bed, flicking it on. The monsters screeched and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, their cries echoing throughout the room before fading away, leaving them in silence.

" _The others will be coming soon, but you needn't worry too much about them. They will not be able to venture into the light, or they too will vanish. The darkness belongs to them now, but as long as you stay within the light, they are essentially harmless."_

"That's good. They're still scary, though." Benny responded as he climbed back into his bed, pulling the covers over himself as he lay down and settled against his pillows, his plush snuggling up against his chest again, continuing to soothe him.

Freddy gazed at his friend, his eyes twinkling with concern. " _Yes, they are intimidating._ "

Benny moved to glance behind him at the monsters that still remained outside of his room, growling at him, but before he could do so, Freddy reached out and gently prevented this, running a clawed hand through his hair in a comforting gesture, " _Don't look at them. Keep your eyes on me. Try to sleep."_

Benny sighed as he began to relax, and allow himself to feel safe in his friend's presence, staring deep into his plush's eyes full of warmth and comfort, and the child felt himself begin to grow weary, and his eyes began to feel heavy as he fought to remain awake.

"Promise you won't leave me?" He asked, his words becoming slightly slurred as he was quickly succumbing to sleep, "Promise you'll still be here when I wake up?"

" _I promise_ ," he responded, still running his claws through Benny's hair, " _I will always be here for you, and I will always be with you. Now, close your eyes, and rest."_

Benny nuzzled him, and surrendered fully to his exhaustion, with Freddy cradled in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Benny."_

The child was sleeping soundly when he heard his name whispered into his ear. He slowly opened his eyes and found that he was staring into Freddy's glowing white eyes. His room was still dark, as it had no windows, and the lamp was still on, weakly illuminating a small section of his room. He felt a soft, clawed paw gently brush his cheek.

"You're still here." He said tiredly.

 _"Yes. I stayed with you, as I said I would."_ Freddy responded. Benny rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up against his pillows. He stared out his open door into the hallway, seeing no signs of the animatronic beasts that had haunted him the night before. "What happened to the monsters?"

 _"They did not bother us after you turned on the light,"_ the bear responded as he gestured to the lamp that was in the corner of the room. _"They vanished after you fell asleep. I do not know if they will return here, but just know that you are safe here with me."_

Benny wrapped his arms around his friend and protector, feeling his soft material and his warmth. "Thank you."

 _"You are welcome. I would never let anything hurt you, and I will do anything to ensure your safety. Always remember that."_

"I will."

 _"Good. Now, you might want to get dressed. We need to continue preparing for the party."_

Benny sighed and snuggled closer to his friend. "I don't want to get up."

 _"You must. They are counting on you to be there. You can't let them down."_

The child began to cry, sniffing quietly. "But…but no one likes me. They don't care about me. Not even my brother cares about me."

Freddy wiped away the child's tears again. _"Shhhh, don't cry. Everything is alright. It doesn't matter what they think of you, because I care about you. I know how you really are. You are kind, and you are very smart, and you are incapable of hurting anyone. But that is okay, because I will look out for you."_

"What about my brother? What if he tries to hurt me again? What if he does hurt me?"

 _"Please do not think of him now. If that happens, then I will take care of it." He showed his sharp teeth to demonstrate, biting softly at the air. "He will face severe consequences if he even lays a finger on you."_

"Please don't hurt him, Freddy. He says that I deserve what he does to me. He says that I deserve to suffer, because I-"

 _"He is wrong,"_ the bear gently interrupted. _"You don't deserve pain. He is a monster, and he has a dark heart. He enjoys seeing other people suffer, because it makes him feel better about himself."_ The plush climbed into his lap and stared up at him. _"Don't let him get to you. Be strong, and you'll get through it. If he tries anything though, I will know about it, and I will handle it when darkness falls."_

Freddy had explained to him some time ago that he could not be animate during the daytime, as the light would weaken him. He was at his strongest during the nighttime, or when surrounded by darkness. The dark gave him energy, while the light took it away. He could still see and hear and everything, but his appearance would look like that of a regular plush toy. Benny didn't quite understand how that worked, but he accepted it nonetheless.

He got up and turned on his light, and Freddy went back to acting like an inanimate object. Benny set him on his dresser while he got dressed for the day. After he was done, he picked him back up and cradled him lovingly in his arms while he went to the kitchen for breakfast. His brother, Aaron, sat at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. "Hey, freak. I didn't say that you could come out yet. Go back to your room."

Benny held Freddy tighter against his chest, feeling scared of him already. He swallowed his fear, and tried to be strong like Freddy had told him to be. "I have to use the bathroom." He squeaked out in fright. He flinched in surprise when his brother suddenly slammed down his silverware and got up from his chair.

Benny backed up until he hit the wall, whimpering softly as Aaron grabbed him by the throat. "You'll do as I say, dumbass, and I told you to GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM!" He slammed Benny against the wall, pain erupting all over the younger child's body as he dropped his friend. He reached for him, but Aaron snatched Freddy up and stared at him with a sadistic sneer on his face.

"You still have this thing? I told you to get rid of it, this is for little kids. You don't need it anymore." He pulled a knife from his pocket and flicked it open, placing the blade against the bear's throat. "I'll take care of it for you."

Benny started to cry again, whimpering. "No! Please don't hurt him! I do need him! I love him!"

Aaron laughed. "You can't be serious! You _love_ this piece of trash? I've told you a thousand times already, this thing is only stuffing and stitches. It is incapable of loving you back, because it is NOT REAL!" He struck Benny across the face with the edge of the knife, cutting Benny's face and drawing blood. The young child cried out in pain as he held his hand over his wound, staring up at his brother with tears in his eyes.

Benny tried to not show fear and stand up for himself. He had to keep Freddy safe. "If you hurt him, I swear that I'll-"

"You'll do _what_?" His brother interrupted with a smirk. "You can't do anything! You couldn't even hurt a fly."

Benny grabbed the nearest object that he could reach, which just happened to be a hardcover book about insects, and swung it at him.

Aaron dodged the attack and swatted the object out of his grasp, grabbing Benny's hand and gripping it tightly. "Now you've just made it even worse for yourself!" He hissed angrily as he wrapped his hands around Benny's throat and squeezed. The young child was forced to the ground while he clawed at the arms holding him down as he struggled to breathe, gasping and kicking his feet as his brain screamed for air.

Benny stared over at Freddy, who stared back at him, his eyes glowing very faintly. He reached out to him, but Aaron noticed this and forcefully wretched it away.

Aaron smiled as he watched Benny struggling, but was interrupted when his phone rang. He sighed and released Benny, who began coughing as he gently rubbed his aching throat. "You better not say anything while I take this call. If I hear even a single sound out of your mouth, you're not gonna like what I do to you."

While his brother went into the other room to accept his call, Benny quickly grabbed Freddy from the ground and cuddled him, desperately seeking some form of comfort as he softly cried in fear and pain. He felt Freddy twitch suddenly, and his eyes lit up briefly before going still again, as a wave of intense comfort washed over the young child.

Benny got up and went back to his room, turning out the lights, pitch black darkness surrounding him while he sat on his bed and tried to calm himself while he waited for his friend to awaken. After a few moments, the eyes began to glow white again, and Freddy quickly ran to him and tried his best to hug the child. Benny heard a low growl emitted from his friend.

 _"He will pay for what he has done to you, I promise that. No one ever hurts you and gets away with it. I'll make him suffer endlessly, drowning in a sea of his own blood. He'll-"_ he stopped himself when he noticed the scared expression on Benny's face. _"I'm sorry you heard that. I'm just so angry with him. He can't keep doing this to you."_

Benny sniffled as he tried to keep from crying. "I know. But I can't do anything to stop it from happening again."

 _"Maybe you can't, but I certainly can."_ He softly nuzzled Benny's throat, giving him some of his love to ease his pain. _"I will keep you safe. After tonight, no one will ever hurt you again, I promise. Certainly not him."_

Benny lay down in his bed as he thought about what had happened earlier.

"He won't ever stop. He'll just keep hurting me over and over again. What did I do to deserve this, Freddy? How can I make it right?"

 _"You have done nothing wrong, Benny. It's him. It's just the way he is. You have nothing to fear, though, because I will not allow him to hurt you again. I won't let anyone hurt you, ever."_ He put his paws on both sides of Benny's face. _"It will be okay. I will take care of everything."_

Thunder sounded somewhere, faint but powerful. Rain began to fall, as dark heavy clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun's light as darkness slowly blanketed the neighborhood. A storm was brewing, and it was a big one this time. _"This is a good thing. I can be with you for longer now."_ Freddy said.

Knowing that his friend was referring to the storm, Benny nodded. "Yeah. I like storms. They're cool."

 _"They are very fascinating."_ Freddy agreed. _"Perhaps some rest would help you heal faster. He gave you quite a scare, didn't he?"_

"Yes. He is pretty mean."

Freddy settled against Benny's chest, his warmth calming the child. _"That he is."_

Benny coughed, sounding raw and painful as his throat still hurt from earlier. Freddy placed a paw gently on his throat. _"Does it hurt? Tell me, how are you feeling now?"_

"My head hurts. I don't feel good." Benny responded tiredly. Freddy began softly rubbing the child's sore throat, trying to alleviate some of the pain. _"Does that feel better?"_

"Yes." Benny whispered, his voice hoarse. "That feels a lot better. Thanks."

 _"I do what I can to help, but rest and warmth will help you recover more easily. Perhaps you should sleep._ "

Benny nodded. "Okay. I'll try to do that." He glanced toward the bedroom door, which remained open. "I'm scared. What if he comes in here?"

 _"I won't let him get you, Benny."_ Freddy responded soothingly. _"You are safe with me. Now, just close your eyes and rest, and when you wake up, things will get better for you."_

The child listened to his friend, and pulled the blankets over himself as he lay his head against his pillows, staring into Freddy's eyes as he grew even more tired. "Please don't hurt him."

The last thing Benny heard was Freddy's soft, gentle voice whisper into his ear as he drifted off to sleep: _"I don't have a choice."_


	3. Chapter 3

When Benny was sound asleep, Freddy quietly climbed off the bed and silently opened his bedroom door, looking back once more at his sleeping friend. Without making a sound, he made his way down the hall toward the living room.

He could hear Aaron talking on the phone with one of his friends, bragging proudly about what he had done to Benny earlier. "The freak didn't stand a chance against me, man. He's so pathetic! Remember when I told you about his stupid stuffed animal that he'd carry around with him? He still does that. He claims that it makes him feel happy and safe, but I should just set that thing on fire and be done with it. It's an ugly little thing, anyway."

Freddy's eyes flashed a deep red at the mention of Benny, and he growled softly as his teeth grew sharp and his claws protruded from his paws. He took a step forward, careful to remain out of sight in the fading light, sticking to the dark corners of the room and silently watching Aaron, waiting for complete darkness to strike at his prey.

The bear continued listening as Aaron talked to his friend, becoming angrier by the second. "Yeah, Benny's a total freak! He's so stupid! You should have seen the look on his face as I was choking him, it was highly amusing. He was clawing at me and everything, but of course I didn't let up even a little. He deserves what he got."

Freddy tried once more to step into the living room, but quickly recoiled when the Sun's light touched him, causing his body to sizzle and burn slightly. So he had no choice but to remain in the hallway, waiting with growing impatience for night to fall. He slowly raked his sharp claws against the wall beside him, creating deep scratches in the wood.

He snarled at this monster that had hurt his friend, the only one he loved more than anything else in the entire world, the one who he had promised to keep safe for as long as he lived, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

A cloud passed in front of the fading Sun, blocking out the light for a few moments, and he took this opportunity to enter the living room and slip into the partially open closet, where he would be fully immersed in the darkness. He stared at his prey through the crack between the door and the wall, shaking with rage at this human's words.

No one was allowed to speak of his friend like this, and anyone who did would be facing dire consequences, but Aaron was a poor excuse for a human being, and what he had done to Benny was inexcusable, and he deserved to suffer for that.

When it was finally dark enough to roam about the house freely, he stepped hesitantly into the room, waiting a few moments to make sure it was safe to enter. When nothing happened, Freddy took another step, with the same result. Confident now, he fully entered the room that Aaron was in, moving slowly and silently so as not to be discovered by the human.

He moved to hide behind the couch, as Aaron sat down on it and continued speaking to his friend. "Yeah, I know, right? All he does is whine like a fucking baby. He's a dumbass, man. I never even wanted a brother! I wanted Mom and Dad all to myself, but then he came along, and it all went downhill from there. My life has been-" He let out a cry of surprise when the phone was forcefully knocked from his hands, hitting the wall and breaking the phone.

"What the fuck?!" Aaron spat, quickly growing angry. He looked around. "Benny, you little shit! I'm gonna rip your-" his words stalled in his throat when he heard deep growling in his ear, and he turned his head and locked eyes with Freddy, who stood on the armrest beside him, eyes glowing brightly, snarling at him.

Aaron quickly jumped up and yelled out in surprise, fearing what he saw. He backed up as the golden bear slowly moved across the couch, his eyes never leaving his target. Jumping down onto the floor, he showed his teeth, sharp and deadly, as he slowly advanced upon Aaron, growling lowly and threateningly. His claws were out now, long and pointed. His eyes shone a deep blood red, and were the only part of him that was visible in the darkness, obscuring his other features.

He continued advancing until Aaron was against the wall and had nowhere to run. With a screech, Freddy lunged at him, his expression one of rage and deadly intent. He quickly overpowered the human as he began swiping at him with his claws, scoring a few hits to Aaron's legs and trying to sink his teeth into his skin, trying to make him fall to his knees so that he could tear into him, and cut his throat open with his claws and teeth.

The thought of doing that to him gave Freddy a sick sense of pleasure, and his eyes glowed a little brighter the angrier he got. Aaron's blood dripped from his claws, the scent of it fueling the bear's rage.

Aaron tried to grab him, but he easily dodged and raked his claws across the back of Aaron's legs, putting as much force behind his swings as he could, cutting deep and making the human cry out as he finally collapsed to the ground, breathing hard and shaking with fright. Freddy gripped his throat roughly and forcefully, piercing it with his claws, not deep enough to kill, only to wound.

The golden bear could surely kill him now, but he held back for Benny's sake, thinking of how the child would react to seeing his brother's dead body when he woke up. It would be traumatizing for certain, and Freddy did not want that for him. He stood before his fallen prey, glowing red eyes regarding Aaron with disgust and hatred while pondering his fate.

He swung one last time, catching the elder human on the side of his face, screeching loudly and making Aaron cover his ears as he cried out in pain at the sound and the wounds inflicted upon him. He lay on his back now, Freddy standing on his chest, biting at the air in front of him, mere inches from his face.

Giving in to his growing rage, Freddy opened his mouth wide, his teeth growing longer, preparing to bite down into Aaron's throat. He forced the human's head back, exposing more of his throat, leaning down towards it. Just as he was about to sink his teeth into his jugular vein, a voice cried out from the hallway.

"NO!" The voice yelled out. Freddy turned, bearing his teeth at the source, but stopped when he saw Benny standing there, looking visibly frightened and nervous. Freddy's eyes slowly turned back to his normal white color while his teeth slowly retracted, and they stared at each other before the silence was broken.

"Please stop." Benny pleaded, tears in his eyes. "You can't do this. Don't hurt him anymore. I don't want this, I didn't want this, Freddy."

 _"He hurt you, Benny. He will suffer for what he did to you. He needs to feel your pain, and he is. I'm doing this for you."_

"Are you gonna hurt me, too?" Benny asked quietly, fear in his voice.

 _"I… no."_ Freddy responded, surprised that his friend would say something like that. _"I will never harm you, Benny. Not ever."_ He turned back to face Aaron. _"Go back to bed now. I'll be with you in a moment."_

"I had a nightmare, and then I heard him screaming." Benny said, gesturing to Aaron, who sat against the wall, whimpering and trembling with fear. "And I saw that you weren't with me, so I went looking for you."

 _"Well, you've found me. Now return to your room, and lock your door, and don't come out until I say that it's safe to do so."_

"You're hurting him, Freddy. He's had enough. Please stop."

Freddy growled loudly, becoming frustrated. _"It will never be enough for him. Now, I will ask you once more: return to your room, and lock the door. I won't be much longer now."_

"Come back with me. We can watch TV together, or we can just-"

 _"PLEASE, Benny!"_ Freddy pleaded, _"I only want you to be safe, and you are not safe here, you are vulnerable, and he might try to harm you again. Please just do as I ask."_

Benny nodded, tears in his eyes, and ran back to his room, shutting the door and turning the lock. Freddy heard Aaron rising to his feet, and quickly turned toward him, his eyes red again, and caught his arm, biting into it hard and deep. Aaron screamed and fell back to the ground, clutching his wounded limb which now bled freely and profusely.

Freddy stood on his chest again, raising a paw to dig his razor sharp claws deep into Aaron's throat, but halted when he heard the faint sound of Benny crying. He slowly lowered his arm and stared into Aaron's terrified eyes as his own returned to normal.

Deciding that Benny was more important, he climbed off of Aaron and retreated into the darkness, heading for his friend's room. He tapped softly on the door, waiting as he heard the bed creak as Benny rose from it. The human went to the door but did not open it.

 _"You may come out now. It's safe."_ Freddy said. There was a brief silence before Benny spoke. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"

 _"Mad? Of course not. Why would you think that?"_ The bear asked, perplexed.

Benny sniffled, and Freddy could hear the sadness and distress in his voice. "You got mad at me because I wouldn't listen to you earlier about Aaron."

 _"No, I wasn't mad at you, Benny. I was worried about you, for your safety, and I became…frustrated that you would not heed my warning. I was afraid that he would hurt you again, and that he may even end up killing you. I didn't want that."_

"Okay." Benny responded after a moment. He unlocked the door and let his friend in, sitting on his bed. "You know, Aaron is not a bad person. He just has issues, and I don't think that he really wants to hurt me."

 _"Yes, he IS a bad person, and don't you ever think anything different. I could see that he did, in fact, enjoy hurting you before, and if I hadn't stepped in and done something, it is more than likely that he would have put you in the hospital, or worse. You can't let yourself trust him or anything that he says. He is a monster, through and through."_

"Some would argue that you are a monster, as well. Your appearance now resembles one."

" _Do_ _ **not**_ _compare me with those abominations that you saw last night._ _ **I**_ _am not a monster, Benny,"_ Freddy snarled, slightly angered that he would even suggest it. _"I am your protector, and I am your friend, but I am not a monster. I am much different than they are. They create fear and chaos, I do not. I oppose it. I may appear like them, but I am nothing like them. I want you to remember that."_

Benny stared at him, his face showing surprise that Freddy had spoken to him in that way. "Okay." He said, his voice cracking as he tried to prevent himself from crying at Freddy's harsh tone.

The golden bear sighed, regretting his words. _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so harsh."_

"I know." Benny whispered, still holding back tears. Freddy put a paw on his cheek, Benny nuzzling into it. _"I'm still mad at Aaron for what he did to you. I want to keep you happy and safe, and he is making it difficult to do so. He derives gratification from your misery."_

"He must have had a bad day. He gets mad sometimes when he comes home from school."

 _"No matter what you tell yourself, you simply cannot justify his actions."_ Freddy replied gently. _"He had no right to harm you, and you know this. You don't deserve to be hurt."_

Benny nodded and turned away, as he couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and he didn't want Freddy to see him crying. He buried his face into his pillow as he mentally berated himself and tried to make himself stop being sad, but the tears just kept spilling out.

Freddy turned his head so that they were looking into each other's eyes, _"It's okay, don't cry. You're safe now, and he won't hurt you anymore, I promise."_ His soft, quiet voice resonated through Benny's head, calming his fears slightly.

However, even though Freddy had protected him this time around, Benny knew that Aaron would become even more resentful of him now, and may even try to go after Freddy during the daytime, when the golden bear was unable to defend himself from danger.

"Freddy?"

 _"Yes, Benny?"_

"I'm afraid that Aaron might hurt you now. He doesn't like to lose, especially when he's fighting. He…he might try to get you."

 _"Don't worry about that. If he comes after me, I will win. He won't hurt me, though he will certainly try his best to do so."_

"Do you want to leave?" Benny asked suddenly.

Freddy put a paw on his cheek, rubbing it gently. _"I advise against leaving, Benny. Though I am confident that I would be able to provide for you, you are too young to go out on your own. Maybe when you are a little older, we could go someplace where you would be safe, but for now I think it would be best if we remain here."_

"Why?" Benny asked. "I want to leave. Please? I don't wanna stay here anymore. I wanna go somewhere with you."

 _"I will think about it, considering your current circumstances, but I truthfully have no idea where we would go."_

"But Aaron always says how much he wants you to go. He wants to get rid of you, and he's said bad things about you before. I don't want you to leave me. I want you to stay with me forever."

 _"And I will. I'll even be buried with you when you pass, if you want that. I won't go until you do."_

Benny nodded. "I'd like that very much. You'll never leave me?"

 _"No, never. I'll be with you until you die, and even after. You can't lose me that easy, and no one can take me away from you, and if anyone tried to, I would only return to you soon after. We are inseparable, you and I."_

Benny held him affectionately and lovingly as he sighed contently. "I'll never leave you, either. I'll try my best to keep you safe, too."

 _"I appreciate that. You mean the world to me."_

"Promise you won't hurt him anymore?" Benny asked hesitantly, afraid of the response.

 _"I promise. I won't hurt him unless he tries to hurt you again. I'll leave him alone for now. I hope he's learned his lesson."_

"Me, too." Benny responded, sighing in relief and hoping that the bear kept his promise. "Do you wanna watch cartoons?"

Freddy nuzzled his friend, snuggling up against him. _"I would love nothing more than to spend time with you right now. You could use the company, considering the current circumstances."_

Benny nodded and grabbed his tablet, and they watched cartoons late into the night, content and safe for the moment.

 **A/N: So what did you think of this chapter? I worked really hard on it, trying to give you all the absolute best that I could, and I think it turned out very well. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts on the story so far. I would love some feedback or some constructive criticism, if you have any. I hope you're enjoying this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

Benny woke up to Freddy lightly running his claws down his face. _"Morning,"_ he said in that soft voice of his, _"Did you rest well?"_

The child sat up in his bed and gazed into his friend's glowing white eyes, a calm feeling within him. "I had a few nightmares about my brother, but otherwise I slept okay, I think."

 _"I can assure you that he will not lay a finger on you after what I did to him last night."_ The gold colored plush responded soothingly. _"He acts tough, but he is a coward who preys on the weak. If he does not cease his attacks on you, then it will only get worse for him."_

"I still don't wanna go out there," Benny whimpered, "I don't feel safe with him."

Freddy climbed into his lap. _"Then take me with you. I will keep you safe. There's nothing to fear when I'm near."_

So Benny nodded and scooped him up into his arms, slowly making his way down the hall to the kitchen, trembling with fright on the way there.

 _"Just relax. Everything will be alright,"_ Freddy soothed, his voice in Benny's head, _"I'm here with you."_

They continued on to the kitchen, where Aaron was eating some oatmeal. He squealed and jumped up out of his seat when he saw Freddy. "Get that thing away from me!" He yelled fearfully.

Benny examined his older brother closely. His face was a mess of scratches, some of them deeper than others. Some, he could tell, would become scars, a permanent reminder to never hurt him again. The rest of them would probably be healed in a matter of days.

His arms were littered with bruises, and his legs were also adorned with deep cuts and gouges, courtesy of Freddy's claws. He really could be rather terrifying under the right circumstances.

Freddy whispered to him from within his mind, and Benny repeated it to his brother. "He says that he won't harm you anymore unless you do something to provoke him." Benny said while getting his own breakfast. "Apparently, hurting me is a HUGE 'don't' on his list."

"He ALMOST fucking KILLED ME!" Aaron shouted, making Benny jump slightly from the volume of his voice. "That thing is a monster!"

"I'd wager that you're pretty lucky that I showed up when I did, otherwise you probably WOULD be dead now. He is extremely protective of me, you know."

"If Mom and Dad hadn't died in that car crash a few years back, they'd agree with me!" Aaron argued. "That abomination needs to be destroyed. Permanently!"

Benny held his plush protectively against his chest, cradling him lovingly. "You're not gonna TOUCH him! He won't let you, and I won't, either! He's the only thing that makes me feel truly happy!"

"It's a danger to the both of us!" Aaron shot back, glancing nervously at the golden bear. "It's gonna kill us!"

Benny narrowed his eyes. "Don't you ever talk about him like that. He's my friend, and he'd never hurt me. It's you he's after, and all he was doing was protecting me from you. None of this would have even happened if you had just left me alone."

Aaron pushed his chair back and stood up from the table, walking up to his younger sibling, who backed up against the wall nervously. "If that's how you wanna think, fine. But don't be surprised if you wake up one day with his teeth digging into your throat."

 _"Don't listen to him, Benny."_ The golden bear whispered to him, his voice resonating through his head. _"He is trying to turn you against me. You know that I won't ever hurt you, and that's a promise. He wants you to take his side, but we both know who's in the right here."_

"I know what you're trying to do." Benny said to his brother. "You're trying to make me feel bad for you. That's not happing, especially after how you've been treating me these past few months after our parents died. I won't ever feel sorry for you. Never. You deserved what you got."

"You ungrateful little dick!" Aaron's expression changed from fearful to angered as his arm shot out and grabbed his brother's throat, forcefully pushing him up against the wall. "After all I've done for you, taking care of you after we lost our parents, giving you food and a roof over your head, you treat me like this!"

'You shouldn't have done that." Benny said softly as he heard Freddy growl in his head. "He wants you to know that he's gonna skin you alive if you don't let go of me right now."

'I'll take that monster that you call a friend, and toss it into a fire. That'll solve the problem." He examined the golden plush with caution, being careful not to touch it. "He doesn't look so dangerous now, does he?"

"You don't know what he's capable of." Benny said in warning. "You should be thankful that he didn't kill you last night. I'd be careful around us from now on. As long as you don't do anything to me or him, you won't have to worry about it anymore."

"I will admit that he fucked me up good last night for sure," Aaron said, slowly releasing his grip on his younger sibling, "but that doesn't excuse the fact that he won't eventually hurt you, too. I'm trying to look out for you here."

"Freddy is a better guardian then you'd ever be." Benny shot back, holding him tighter. "He doesn't hurt me, for one, and two, he's not mean like you are. He'd actually keep me safe, but you don't care about me at all. You don't love me like he does."

"You would choose a monster over your own brother?" Aaron asked in disbelief. "I can't believe you right now! You would still vouch for it after what that thing did to me?! You were there, you saw it! It was gonna kill me!"

"Well, now I wish that he would have!" Bendy spat angrily. "But then we'd have a mess to clean up, not to mention the fact that the sight of him ripping your throat out would probably be very traumatizing for me."

Aaron put out his hands. "Give it to me, and I'll take care of it, and you'll never have to see it again. Please."

"I said that you're not touching him!" Benny snapped. "You aren't concerned for my safety at all! You're just trying to make sure that he won't hurt you again! He says that you're a selfish person, and if I give him to you that you'll just go back to hurting me again. Nothing will change!"

"It's lying to you. Benny!" His brother pleaded. "Its twisting your mind, manipulating you! I've been here your whole life. I taught you how to read, I helped you to learn how to ride your bike for the first time, remember? I used to buy you comics when you were obsessed with Batman last year. Are you just gonna forget all of that?"

 _"He's deceiving you,"_ Freddy whispered, _"he wants you to fall for his tricks, but I know you're smarter than that. He doesn't mean what he says. Don't listen to his lies. He doesn't love you, that much is clear to me. If I'm gone, there is no hope for you, and he might end up severely injuring you one day. My job is to protect you from all dangers, and I will continue to do that as long as I am with you."_

Benny stood there, glaring hatefully at his brother, not moving from his spot against the wall and holding Freddy protectively to his chest. He knew that there was a good chance Aaron was lying, and that Freddy was telling the truth. The golden bear usually turned out to be right the majority of the time in these kinds of situations.

Aaron sighed, dropping his façade while his arms fell to his sides. "Alright, you know what? This obviously isn't working, so let's try it my way this time." He pulled out a switchblade from his pocket and flicked it open, pressing the blade to Benny's throat. "You give me the bear, and I won't cut you open right now."

Benny began to tremble with fright now, afraid that Aaron would kill him. He felt Freddy's anger, it was like a river of fire, a force that consumed his little body. He was practically shaking with rage, he could feel it. "You're making Freddy very angry," he informed his brother, his voice small and scared.

"I don't give a fuck what he's feeling right now." Aaron hissed, pressing the knife harder into Benny's throat, "He'll be gone soon, anyway."

 _"Look to your right."_ Freddy's voice whispered. Benny did so, and saw that he was next to a light switch. He reached up and went for it with trembling hands, but Aaron caught his arm and pinned it to his side. "I wouldn't move if I were you."

"It's okay, you can do this. I won't let him hurt you." The golden plush said quietly, his voice giving Benny courage and comfort. He hit Aaron in his diaphragm, not hard enough to knock the breath out of him, but it was enough to stun him temporarily. While he was distracted, Benny quickly flicked off the light switch, plunging the room into darkness.

Freddy immediately sprang to life, growling at Aaron and snapping at the air while still in Benny's arms. _"Put me down, please."_ He instructed.

Benny dropped him, watching as Freddy fell to the floor and landed upright, screeching loudly and pouncing on Aaron, tearing at his clothes with his claws and teeth, hissing and screeching all the while. His victim yelled out in pain and fear as the claws cut skin, deep and wounding. Teeth pierced flesh, cutting through muscle drawing blood. Aaron managed to get to his feet and tried to run, but Freddy leaped onto his back and bit into the side of his throat, making the elder human scream and try to rip his attacker off of him, but the bear held on with all he had, determined to get his point across.

Aaron tried to stab him, but Freddy was crawling all over his body, so it was difficult to score any hits on him. The bear was everywhere at once. It crawled up his chest and screeched in his face, the sound deafening and ear-splitting. Benny covered his ears while sitting in the corner, Freddy's glowing eyes the only source of light in the room.

He raked his sharp claws across Aaron's throat, stinging pain enveloping the human's body. He screamed and fell back against the wall, beaten again by the very thing that he had tried to destroy. He glared up at him hatefully, blood coating his claws, dripping onto the carpet. He gripped Aaron's sides with both of his paws, digging his claws into the soft flesh so hard that they sank in so deep until he had driven them as far in as they would allow. And then he kept forcing them deeper. He let out a low growl as his claws went further inside of his friend's tormentor.

The sounds of pain and fear that Aaron made had Freddy feeling satisfied, but not fully. Not by a long shot.

He placed his paws on the sides of Aaron's face, slowly and deeply running the claws down the length of his face, near his eyes. He wanted him to feel every little bit of this, to suffer in agony for what he did to himself and Benny. He deserved endless pain.

Freddy pushed him down onto the ground and positioned his mouth over Aaron's throat like last time, his long sharp teeth brushing the skin. He looked over at Benny. _"Your call. Alive, or dead?"_

 **A/N: I'll let you guys decide Aaron's fate. Should he be killed, or should Freddy prolong his suffering? Whatever gets the most votes will be what Benny chooses.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** **Well** , **the votes are in! I waited a few days before starting on this chapter so you could all have a voice, and the majority of people want Aaron to live for now. So he will be alive until I have no further use for him, but that probably won't be happening for at least another few chapters. Also, I hope that none of you mind if Plushtrap comes into the story? I have a few ideas for him, as well, and I hope that he is well received by most of you. Plushtrap has certainly grown on me!**

"I think he's had enough," Benny said after a brief hesitation, sitting on the floor, back to the wall.

 _"Are you sure?"_ Freddy asked, bearing his teeth at Aaron. _"I could end this right now, and then you and I could live without fear of this monster forevermore, for the rest of your days on this Earth."_

Benny hesitated again before answering. He did want his brother to stop bothering and harassing him on the regular, and he also wanted to feel completely safe, but that was what Freddy was for.

He didn't want Aaron to die, but if this kept on happening, the golden bear might just snap and kill him anyway, regardless of whether or not Benny objected to it.

"I-I'm sure." He said quietly, hating how his voice betrayed his fear and worry.

 _"You don't_ sound _very certain,"_ Freddy noted, looking from Aaron to Benny. _"but I will give him one last chance. For you. Also, some things he said are true. He has been taking care of you ever since you were orphaned by your family, though he has done a terrible job of doing so thus far."_

The young child nodded. "Yes, I know that. This is not how a guardian is supposed to act towards the person they're raising."

 _"You are very right about that."_ Freddy agreed wholeheartedly. " _I would also hate to take him away from you. I know he is the only biological family that you have left, but I am also taking care of you. Taking him away,"_ He gestured to Aaron, _"would hurt you, as well."_

The golden bear climbed off of his prey, watching cautiously as Aaron hurriedly crab walked into the corner of the room, wanting to separate himself from the thing that had nearly killed him for a second time. He sat there, shaking and crying, consumed entirely with intense fear that made his insides cold and numb.

After a few minutes, the elder sibling scurried to his feet and rushed to the front door and flung it open, running off into the night and leaving the door wide Freddy was sure that he was gone, he went up to his human friend and did his best to soothe him, running his claws through his hair slowly and gently.

 _"I am sorry this is happening to you,"_ he whispered softly, his voice a calming presence in Benny's mind, _"and I'm sorry that you are not loved enough, as you should be. A person like you deserves so much more than this."_

The stress and fear inside of the young child finally became too much for him, and he burst into tears, wrapping his arms around Freddy's torso and pulling him close against his body, cradling his friend.

The bear returned the embrace, eyes glowing sadly as he felt the raw pain that Benny was currently feeling. _"You're alright, don't be sad. Everything will be okay. You are safe now."_

"I'm n-not safe h-here." The child whimpered as he held him tighter. "I w-wanna go somew-where else w-with you." He sniffled as it became harder to breathe.

 _"We can."_ Freddy said soothingly. _"We will. Just not today."_

"Why?" Benny asked as tears fell from his eyes. "Why not now? No one loves me. No one cares."

 _"That's not true. You know I care. You know that I love you, and I know that isn't enough, but I do love you with everything in me, and I want to see you well and happy."_ Freddy sighed. _"We can't leave here because I fear that something will happen to you when you go, even if I am with you. The world is a dangerous place, and I am afraid that I won't be able to protect you from everything."_

 _"But I do, however, know someone who can help with that. As a matter of fact, I have something for you."_ Freddy said while he gestured into the shadows. A figure stepped forward, a plush rabbit with rips and tears in several places, and it had long ears and a smile that made Benny nervous. He wondered what had happened to it.

 _"This is Plushtrap,"_ Freddy continued. _"He will keep you safe whenever I am… otherwise occupied or absent from you."_

"He won't hurt me, will he?" Benny asked warily, slightly frightened by the bunny's appearance.

 _"You don't have to worry about that happening at all."_ Freddy assured his human friend. " _Plushtrap is nothing like your brother. The complete opposite, in fact. He will do whatever he needs to make you feel safe and comfortable in his presence."_

Plushtrap approached the bed and stopped just beside it, looking up at Benny curiously. He made a sound like chirping, and Benny noticed that his eyes also glowed a deep white color.

 _"Put your hand out towards him so he can get to know you better."_ Freddy urged lightly. _"It's okay, he won't hurt you. He is very gentle, I promise."_

Benny hesitantly did as the golden bear had suggested, and put out his hand. Plushtrap stared at it for a while before gripping it gently in his hands, and licking it softly. He climbed onto the bed, fear rising in the human's chest. Plushtrap examined him for a few moments, then lay down beside him and snuggled into Benny, purring affectionately.

 _"It looks as if he's taken a liking to you."_ Freddy noted with satisfaction. _"I knew he would. Now he's yours, and you will be absolutely safe when he is with you. He is much more vicious than I am when he is protecting something he loves."_

"What happened to him?" Benny asked as he took in all of the damage on Plushtrap's body. "He doesn't look so good. Is he hurt?"

 _"He was… mishandled by his previous owners."_ Freddy explained. _"I have fixed him up as best I could, though I'm afraid that I couldn't do very much for him. I know that he will be safe and happy with you, however, and he clearly likes it here, too. He can sense that you are a good person, and have a kind heart."_

Plushtrap continued making sounds akin to purring, his long ears tickling Benny's face. The child giggled and brushed them away. He was much softer than Benny thought he would be, and he liked that about him. The plush rabbit rested its head on the human's collarbone, wiggling its ears contently.

 _"I think he likes you more than I do."_ Freddy observed. _"Soon, he'll grow to love you as he spends more time with you."_

"Can he talk, like you?" Benny asked as he ran his hand from the top of the ravbit's head and down his back, petting his new friend the same as one would for a dog or cat.

 _"Unfortunately, no. He never learned the skill, but he can emit growls and other sounds, and will let you know how he feels or if he wants something through his body language, as the humans do sometimes."_

Benny nodded and picked up Plushtrap, making his way towards his room. He was about to put his hand on the door when Freddy spoke to him again.

 _"Once you're in there, I would like for you to not come out, no matter what you hear, until either me or Plushtrap says that it's safe to do so. Okay?"_

"But my brother isn't in the house anymore." Benny exclaimed, confusion written on his face. "You don't need to worry about him until he comes back."

 _"I can't take any chances with him. He could be lurking around the house, planning something, or waiting to attack you again without us knowing. Your room is the safest place for you to be right now. I just want to be certain that he has left the house as well as the surrounding areas."_

"Wait!" Benny pleaded. "Just stay with me. Please? I'm scared. He could come back while you're out there looking for him, and I-"

 _"As I stated before, if that were to happen, Plushtrap would protect you. He wouldn't let Aaron get near you. I can promise you that."_

"He won't let anything in with us?" Benny asked.

 _"He will do his best to protect you from anything that might wish to harm you, and if anything or anyone were to do that in his presence, well… they wouldn't need a reason to breathe anymore, to put it lightly. He won't stop until the threat is eliminated."_

Benny felt scared just trying to imagine what that meant. "They would die?" He whispered in shock, trying to wrap his mind around it.

Freddy nodded. _"Yes, most likely. Plushtrap can be very… aggressive with things like this, and sometimes he tends to lose control of his emotions. He doesn't like when humans harm the thing he loves most, and if you think that what I did to your brother was going too far, he would have done much worse."_

Freddy made his way toward the front door, which was still open. He turned to address Benny again. " _I will return shortly. Be safe_." Then he disappeared into the night, the darkness swallowing his form completely until even his glowing eyes dimmed, and quickly vanished.

Benny was alone with Plushtrap in his arms, as the damaged rabbit nuzzled him and cooed and trilled softly, comfortably snuggled into the child's clothing. He stared at his new owner curiously, his expression something like awe and wonder as he studied his surroundings.

Benny went over to the open door and closed it as he thought about Freddy, and wondering if he had found Aaron at all. He hoped that he was okay out there. He worried for his friend sometimes, and this was one of those instances.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he barely noticed when Plushtrap began tugging at the sleeve of his shirt to get his attention. He looked down at him after a brief moment to see that the rabbit was pointing at the floor with a single clawed finger.

"Do you want down?" Benny asked, to which Plushtrap nodded.

Benny complied and released him, setting him on the ground gently. As soon as he was free, Plushtrap took off, exploring the room with child-like excitement. He couldn't keep his hands off of anything, eagerly checking out every corner of the room and picking up toys and examining them before moving on to the next thing that caught his attention.

This went on for a short while, and as he slowly grew more comfortable around this new arrival, he decided to trust Freddy's words, and accept that maybe Plushtrap wouldn't harm him after all. If he had really wanted to, he probably would have done so by now.

While Plushtrap was curiously studying and hesitantly tasting his LEGO pieces that were in a bin in the corner of the room by licking them, Benny heard faint scratching at the front door.

Also hearing the noise, Plushtrap immediately ceased licking the Legos and dropped them, moving over to the human and pointing at the bed, wanting him to hide under it, before moving towards the stairs, his eyes red and emitting low growls that made Benny shiver with fright.

The plush peeked out of the doorway, turning to Benny and gesturing to him in a 'stay here' motion, before slowly walking down the hallway towards the main entrance of the house. His ears bent towards the door slightly, enhancing the noise that he heard as he listened carefully for any other sounds or threats.

 _"It's alright, Plushtrap, it's just me."_ Freddy's voice reached Benny's mind, making him breathe a sigh of relief. He rushed over and opened the door for his friend, hugging him joyfully.

"I'm so glad you're back. I was starting to worry about you!" Benny exclaimed happily.

 _"There's no need to worry. I am alright."_ Freddy said quietly. _"I couldn't find your brother anywhere, which is a good thing, I suppose. He must have went elsewhere for a while."_ He glanced at Plushtrap. " _Did he cause any trouble while I was away?"_

Benny shook his head as he set Freddy on the floor. "No. He mostly just played with my things for awhile until you came back. I think he was very curious about my Legos. He kept trying to eat them." He said with a giggle.

 _"Plushtrap is a very curious case, isn't he?"_ Freddy asked, and Benny could hear the humor in his voice. _"He loves to touch things and see what they do. It's something that's gotten him into trouble more than once in the past, I will admit."_

"Do you think that Aaron is coming back tonight?" Benny asked, hoping that the answer would not be what he thought it would.

 _"I don't know. I hope not, for his sake."_ Freddy answered while he stared into the darkness outside.

"Sometimes when he gets really angry, he stays with his friends for a few days." The child stated.

 _"Perhaps he is with his friends, then. I would much rather he stay there, to be perfectly honest with you. You're better off without him around."_

Benny was about to say something when he was interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps approaching the front door.

Plushtrap again motioned for Benny to hide, which he did immediately as he ducked behind a couch in the middle of the room, while Freddy positioned himself in the corner by the door, concealed by the inky blackness.

Then, with baited breath, Benny remained in his hiding spot, fearing the worst.

 **And that's all for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it for what it was, and I hope that Plushtrap will grow on you in time. He's one of my favorite characters in the games.**


	6. Chapter 6

Plushtrap ran to hide behind the couch with Benny as the footsteps drew nearer. He felt his owner's worry, so he crawled into his lap to provide some kind of reassurance to the child, even if it wasn't doing much.

Benny stopped trembling immediately. Plushtrap's presence radiated a fierce sense of protectiveness and warmth, and he remembered what Freddy had said about the rabbit killing what or whoever threatened those he loved.

Freddy beared his teeth as he slowly inched closer to the door, his claws extending from his paws. A silhouette of a figure began to make itself known, gravel crunched under their feet, giving away their location. The door began to open, and both Plushtrap and Freddy had prepared themselves for a fight.

Plushtrap's claws were longer than Freddy's, and his teeth looked sharper as well. He looked absolutely terrifying in this form, though Benny knew he shouldn't be scared of him. If Freddy says that he wouldn't hurt him, then Benny had no reason to doubt the bear's words.

The yellow rabbit started to emerge from behind the couch, his eyes a deep blood red, the same color as Freddy's now, though something about them seemed much more threatening and intimidating. Benny tried to grasp for him, wanting it to stay with him, but Plushtrap gently slipped from his hold and moved to stand directly in front of the door, waiting for it to open so that he could attack what he now perceived to be an unknown threat.

The doorknob began to turn, and Plushtrap's teeth and claws grew longer, sharper. He was prepared to kill whatever lay beyond that door, for Benny's safety as well as his own.

The door opened all the way, and the tattered rabbit positioned himself as he prepared to pounce. He screeched and lounged, and it was at that moment that the light was turned on, forcing him to revert to his plush state. He fell back to the ground with a dull thumping sound, facedown on the carpet.

Plushtrap had been too consumed with rage to think clearly, only focused on attacking the threat. Freddy had been smarter, however, and had ran into the closet at the last second. He now stood before the clothes that shielded him from the light, the darkness giving him strength. He watched with focused eyes as the figure stepped into view.

It was Aaron. He had returned from wherever he had been previously, and now he was in the same room as Benny was, which he immediately deemed as unacceptable.

"What the fuck?" He questioned as Plushtrap landed in front of him. He picked him up as Benny emerged from behind the couch.

"Can I please have that back?" The child squeaked out in fright.

Aaron examined it for a moment before tossing it back to his younger brother. "You got another one of these now?"

Benny nodded. "Freddy gave him to me. He said that he would help. His name is Plushtrap."

Freddy growled from within the closet, deep and guttural. He stepped forward slightly to allow himself to be seen by the other. Aaron turned toward the direction of the noise and saw him. Or at least he saw the glowing red eyes staring back at him amidst the clothes and coats that hung there.

The elder human gasped but quickly collected himself, raising his hands in surrender. "Look, man, I got it, okay? I won't hurt him anymore. I learned my lesson." He turned back to Benny. "So, if that thing gave you this," he said, gesturing to Plushtrap, "then I assume that it's like Freddy is?"

Benny nodded again. "Yes. Also, I think that I should tell you that Plushtrap is much more violent than Freddy is, and would kill you if you were to harm me again. I just want you to know that. I don't want that to happen to you, so all that I ask is that you please try to better yourself in the future."

Aaron nodded nervously. "Roger that, friend. I hear you loud and clear." He glanced over at Freddy again, and the golden bear felt a brief surge of satisfaction at the noticeable fear in the young human's eyes.

He hoped that he in fact really _had_ learned his lesson, and that he wain't just saying what they all wanted to hear to protect himself, only to go back on his word later and repeat his previous behavior. He would surely die then, and now he knew that. Wether or not he actually believed it, well, that was a different story, and they would deal with that if or when they came to it.

Freddy still didn't trust Aaron for even a single millisecond, and he could clearly tell that Benny didn't, either. Why would he, when his brother had let him down so many times before in the past? The golden bear doubted that Aaron would ever truly change for the better, but some humans _were_ capable of changing, and others were not. It all depended on the individual in question, and wether they truly wanted to change and grow to become beneficial to society and prove their worth on this planet.

Some people, however, just deserved to die. There was no way around that. The humans who didn't want to change and improve themselves, those who were satisfied and felt fine with their current course in life, one of corruption and deceit, those who have accepted that they were no good and even embraced the lifestyle of criminals, they deserved to die. They had no worth in this world, no purpose other than to create fear and chaos amongst the peaceful and civilized people. And both Freddy and Plushtrap hated those kinds of humans. Rotten to the core.

Freddy also suspected that Aaron would return to his usual ways as soon as they were not around to keep Benny safe from him. He was manipulative, certainly, and also very smart sometimes. More often than not, though, he was stupid and dull, not thinking things through before he went through with them. That was how he managed to nearly get himself killed twice already. No, Aaron was far from smart, that much was true.

The next time Aaron hurt Benny would be his last, he promised himself that much. He would let Plushtrap tear his throat out then, and they would all be happier without this piece of shit in their lives. Everything would be perfect then. All that mattered was keeping Benny happy and safe in his own house. He could do that for him. He _was_ doing that.

He tuned back in to Benny's conversation with his brother. "Do you still want to go to that party?" The elder human was saying.

Benny glanced at Freddy nervously. "I don't know. No one there likes me. They all think I'm strange. What if they do something?"

"They won't do anything to you, okay?" Aaron said, exasperated. "They didn't do anything last year, or the year before that, did they?"

Benny shook his head slowly, holding Plushtrap to his chest tightly. "No. But that doesn't mean that they won't do anything this year. They always tell me how much of a freak they think I am."

His brother sighed. "Look, I can take you in my truck, okay? I'll make sure that they don't hurt your _feelings_ or anything." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Can I take Freddy and Plushtrap with me this time?" Benny asked hopefully. "I would feel a lot safer if I had them to keep me company."

"No, you can't take those monsters with you!" Aaron shouted. "They're gonna kill somebody one day! I fucking told you about this already! They're staying here."

Benny clenched his fists and stared at his brother with anger in his eyes. "They're not monsters! You're the monster! If it wasn't for them, I would probably be dead right now! So I'm taking them with me, and you aren't gonna do anything to stop it!"

He turned away to talk to Freddy, and Aaron grabbed his arm roughly, his fingernails digging into the younger one's arm. Benny turned his head to demand that he let him go, but Aaron raised his hand to strike him, full of fear. He was stopped by Freddy, who still stood in the closet, and had been observing them quietly. He growled a warning that was loud and fierce, and Aaron lowered his arm to his side.

"The party is in less than an hour, and I need to get ready for it." Benny explained to his brother, relieved that he had taken Freddy's warning seriously this time. "It is very important that I feel safe during the party. I don't like the way they looked at me last year."

"Okay, fine. Whatever." Aaron gave in. "But don't come running to me when they do the exact same thing they did to you last year. You're on your own this time. When they start making fun of you, I won't be there to help. Got that? You deal with it by yourself."

"Okay. I wont be alone, though. I got Freddy and Plushtrap to help if I need them." Benny said while he got his coat and prepared himself for the party that he was openly dreading going to. It was his party though, so he had no choice but to be there. It would look out of place for him not to go, but he actually preferred staying home with his friends. His real friends, not those fake ones who went only because their parents made them. He didn't like them one little bit.

He gathered Plushtrap and Freddy, who snuggled comfortably in his arms, and went to Aaron's truck which sat by the curb in front of their house. He got into the backseat as Aaron got into the drivers seat and started the car. They pulled out and cruised down the road to the building that served as the location of the event: Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. This was always been the place to go, and always will be until Benny outgrew the establishment.

It was still dark outside, and both Freddy and Plushtrap were awake and active, watching Aaron with extreme caution, their eyes a mix of white and red. They were uncertain of how exactly to feel about this, but they knew that they could easily overpower him if the situation called for them to do so.

Aaron stole glances at them wile he drove, on his guard in case anything were to happen. He knew from experience how dangerous they could be if they were pushed too far over the edge, but he had not yet seen what the rabbit could do, and he hoped desperately that he never would have to be on the receiving end of their attacks ever again.

He was relived when they finally pulled into the parking lot of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. "Okay, we're here."

Benny thanked him and climbed out of the truck, Aaron also doing the same. His friends would most likely be here as well, and he couldn't miss an opportunity to hang out with them, too. They were always so much fun to be around. He made a mental note to call off the prank that they had planned for Benny this year. He didn't want it to come back and bite him in the ass when his terrifying "friends" ended up pursuing him again because of it.

They went inside to flashing lights and loud music. The animatronics were performing onstage, and everyone there was focused on those robots now. Aaron found it strange that they could capture the attention of so many children and parents alike. He just thought that the whole thing was ridiculous and dumb. He'd rather be out drinking or smoking a joint with his friends instead of being here with a bunch of little kids who still liked Elmo and Sesame Street.

He paid for entry and bought tickets, already wishing that this night would be over.


	7. Chapter 7

Benny entered the restaurant, still cradling Freddy and Plushtrap in his arms. He looked around, trying to find the other kids who usually came to his parties every year. He spotted a few of them in various places scattered around the building, but did not see the ones who usually came only to torment him.

 _"They do not matter."_ Freddy's voice invading his thoughts, _"Those people are not your friends. They have ill intentions toward you, and anyone who wishes to see another harmed is not a good person, and they are not worth dwelling on for long."_

Benny nodded. "I know," he whispered, tightening his hold on the golden bear. "And I know that you and Plushtrap are my real friends now."

 _"We are,"_ Freddy assured him gently, _"and that will never change. Others will leave you and forget about you with time, that is just how it is, but we will always be here. We will never leave you."_

"Hey, are you coming?" Aaron said irritably as he stood by the entrance to the game room.

 _"We both love you very much, Benny."_ Freddy whispered, and Benny nuzzled the side of his face, returning the affection.

He went over to stand by his brother's side. "Yes," He looked around at the different games. "What do you wanna do first?"

Aaron sighed. "We can't do anything right now. My friends are here, and I need to go hang out with them for a little while." He walked off, spotting his friends huddled in the corner of the establishment, whispering to each other and pointing towards Benny and the large Fredbear animatronic that was currently performing on the stage along with his fellow animatronic bandmates.

"Hey, guys." Aaron greeted as he strode up to them. "What are you doing?"

One of his friends, Eric, smiled when he saw him. He embraced him. "Hey, man, its been a while, hasn't it? Glad we could hang out again! How have you been? Your brother cause you any more trouble at home lately?"

"Um…" Aaron stalled, thinking of an appropriate response to Eric's question. He couldn't tell them about the whole situation with Benny's demonic plushies, and he could only guess there was also the risk of being attacked again if he so much as spouted a whisper about it to anyone. So, he decided to avoid those parts entirely and act like nothing much happened. He smiled shyly. "No, nothing of interest happened lately. Just kept to myself, mostly."

Eric nodded. "Okay. Well, we were just talking about our plan when you came over here. The one about pulling that prank on your little brother?" He gestured to the others. "We were all thinking of changing it up a little. Instead of just having the robot grab him, we could take it a step further and throw him into its mouth." He started to laugh. "That would be so fun to see! It would really hammer the point home, and then he would realize just how much of a little shit he is. What do you think?"

A few days prior to this, Aaron would have been on board with the plan, since he WAS the one who had came up with the idea in the first place. The others had only added in their own interpretations and suggestions. Now, though, after everything that had happened recently, he wasn't too sure about it, even going as far as to re-think his involvement in the prank, and now he was considering opting out of it entirely and wanting to forgo the entire idea.

"I don't know about this, guys," he said, nervously shuffling his feet. "What if we hurt him or something? We would be in a huge amount of trouble, and if he gets injured we could even get arrested."

"Since when did the possibility of him getting hurt ever concern you? It's never been a problem before now." Eric questioned, the others nodding and murmuring their agreement. "You seemed so excited about doing this, man. Are you wussing out?" He asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"N-no, not at all!" Aaron said as he looked down to see that Eric's hands had become fists. "I just think we should-"

"We are not changing the plan!" Eric snapped at him harshly and shoved him to the ground, his other friends once again voicing words of agreement and encouragement. "Not for you or anyone else! We've come too far, and we're going through with this, with or without you!" He took a breath and relaxed his body, his angry expression melting into a smile. "So, are you gonna help us or not?"

Aaron thought about it for half a second while he got up from the ground and onto his feet again. Deciding to take a stand against his friends, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for any backlash he might receive. "I'm sorry, but… no, I won't be helping you with this. My mind is made up, and I won't be a part of this anymore." He made sure to look Eric in the eyes while he said it, to show that he was serious about his decision.

Eric stared at him for a minute, his smile wavering slightly. He sighed. "Well, that's unfortunate, isn't it?"

Aaron was unprepared for the hard punch to his face that followed immediately after. His head snapped back from the force of the blow, and he stumbled again but managed to keep his balance this time around.

Eric hit him once more, harder this time, in his diaphragm, knocking the wind from Aaron's body and forcing him to his knees. He leaned down towards his now weakened friend. "This was your chance to finally be accepted as one of us," he hissed in his ear, "but you blew it, and now your brother will be the one to pay for your insolence."

He walked away, the others following closely behind him. Aaron remained where he was, crouched down on his knees trying to regain his ability to breathe. He heard footsteps approaching him, and he looked up to see Benny standing in front of him with a concerned look on his face. He held out his little hand to help, and gratefully the elder one took it and allowed Benny to help him back to his feet.

"Are you okay?" The younger one asked, tightening his hold on his plushies that he still carried with him. "We saw what happened, and Freddy suggested that I help you out."

Aaron nodded, wheezing still, and put a hand on his injury. "Fine," he gasped, barely able to speak just yet as pain erupted in his diaphragm with every breath. "Just pissed… them off. Thanks for… the assist."

"You're welcome." Benny looked over at Eric and his posse, the group now on the other side of the building talking and laughing amongst each other. "They aren't very nice people, are they?"

Aaron shook his head, anger filling his body. His breathing was mostly back to normal now, and aside from a slight piercing pain, he felt fine. Nothing had been broken or dislocated, at least, and that was always a good thing. "Look," he began, deciding to tell Benny about what his friends were planning. "I gotta tell you something. I-"

"BENNY!" Eric yelled out, spotting his intended target and gesturing to him. "We gotta show you something really cool! Could you come over here for a minute so you can see it?"

The child looked over at Aaron, who was shaking his head. "Don't go over there. They wanna hurt you."

Benny leaned down and whispered something to his Golden Freddy plush, and Aaron could swear that he saw the plushies eyes glow with the faintest light, and the kid stopped and stood there for a few seconds, apparently listening to whatever the little monster was telling him.

Benny turned to Aaron and whispered in his ear, "Freddy says to tell you that if they do anything to me, put both himself and Plushtrap down on the ground and find a way to turn off the lights. He says that neither he or Plushtrap will hurt you or go near you as long as you stay away from them and don't interfere. Okay?"

"Okay," Aaron nodded, "I'll listen this time."

Benny smiled. "Glad to hear that. Maybe one day you can get them to trust you." He glanced towards Eric and his crew again, who were growing impatient. He noticed that one of them was missing. "I also wanna tell you that-"

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind by one of Eric's friends, who went by the name of Zero. "Okay, buddy, time to go see what we found!"

"No, no, let me go!" Benny yelled as he was slung over the shoulder of his captor. "Aaron, help, I don't wanna go with them!"

"Hey! Put him down right now!" Aaron yelled at Zero, who responded to him by showing his middle finger. Zero reached the rest of the group and put Benny down in front of Eric, who smiled warmly and pointed at the Fredbear animatronic that was currently performing alongside Bonnie and Chica.

They exchanged some words, but Aaron could not hear anything that they were saying over the loud noises and music that the robots were singing along to. He looked down and saw that Benny had dropped his plush friends, maybe when he had been surprised and grabbed from behind by Zero.

Aaron picked them up and studied them up close. The rabbit was damaged, and wore a smile that made him shiver with unease. It was very creepy, he thought. The other one looked fine, just a gold-colored bear, but they both held a sense of life to them, too, a thing that Aaron knew that was for good reason. They were secretly living, after all.

He ran over to where Benny was, trying to get to him before they went through with the prank, he could do it, he could reach him in time! He just had to-

Before he knew what was happening, Zero had stepped in front of Benny and had thrown a punch in Aaron's direction, seeing him coming. It connected with his face, knocking him to the ground for the second time that day.

I really need to find new friends, he thought as he stood up and raced over to a nearby light switch, placing Freddy and Plushtrap on the ground in front of him. He reached over, praying that this would do the trick, and flipped the switches to the OFF position.

The lights remained on.

His friends grabbed Benny (all while the child screamed that he didn't want this), lifting him up, while another (who Aaron recognized to be Jex, the newest member of Eric's gang) threw him into the mouth of the animatronic standing before them.

Aaron began to panic as the mouth set against his brother's head, preventing it from closing all the way. Benny continued screaming. He frantically looked around and saw a second panel, rushing over to it and flipping those off as well.

It worked this time. The lights fizzled out completely, the only remaining light source coming from the dim bulbs illuminating the animatronics stage.

The customers and staff alike began to loudly question what the issue was, why were the lights off, ect, and Aaron looked down to see that Benny's plushies had come alive now, glowing eyes regarding Aaron questioningly.

"My brother is in trouble, please help," he whimpered desperately, hoping that Benny would be okay.

Plushtrap suddenly released an ear-piercing screech, a metal-on-metal type of sound, sharp and angry, and Aaron knew immediately that he had found the problem. His eyes turned red, and he scampered off toward Eric and Zero, the little rabbit's body faintly visible by the light source the stage provided.

But they did not reach them in time.

There was a loud crunching sound, and Aaron looked toward the stage and found Benny had stopped screaming and had gone silent. Plushtrap stopped upon hearing the sound, looking over at the child's body with what Aaron could tell was shock in its eyes. It made a sound like a scared whimper, its form trembling for a moment as it was fixated upon its human friend's body dangling from the mouth, thick blood dripping from the robot's maw.

Aaron saw Plushtrap turn back toward Eric and crouch, teeth becoming visible as it caught and reflected the light, and he pounced, grabbing hold of Eric's shirt and climbing up to his throat, sinking his teeth deep into the skin.

Eric screamed as he fell to the ground, Plushtrap ripping into him viciously. Blood poured out of the puncture wounds, dripping onto the thin carpet that covered hard cement.

His friends began shouting in fright, unsure of what was happening around them. They attempted to help Eric, but Freddy ran over and began attacking them as well, though he was not aiming to kill them, as Plushtrap clearly was.

Alerted to the chaos, all of the other people who were in the building began to take notice that something very bad was happening, and they too began screaming, rushing to find the exit doors as staff attempted to restore the power and turn the lights back on.

Meanwhile, Plushtrap was in full berserk mode, tearing into Eric's throat until the human stopped moving, and then the rabbit leaped upon the next person and began ripping into them, too. People ran around the diner, one finding the front door. Taking the initiative, everyone else began heading out in droves, crowding around the front exits as they desperately tried to escape.

Now, only two of Eric's crew remained alive, while the other two lay dead on the floor courtesy of Plushtrap, their blood collecting in small puddles around their bodies.

The emergency lights suddenly came on, bathing the rooms in blinking red lights as the fire alarm began sounding a few seconds after, the loud piercing sound covering the agonized screeches of Benny's plush friends.

The last living members of Eric's group, Jex and Zero, ran down a hall, Plushtrap right on their heels as the enraged rabbit pursued them, intent on ripping them apart, quite literally. His teeth were covered with human blood, and his body was streaked with it, as well, spattered on its face and torso.

Jex tried to go into the next room when they reached the end of the hall, only to find that it was locked shut securely with a padlock and an electric keypad, to which neither knew the code. They pounded on the door, begging to be allowed entrance, but it was no use.

They were screwed, out of options and, most importantly, time.

As the outcome of their situation dawned on them, they both began pleading with the blood-soaked, intensely infuriated plush rabbit that was now slowly approaching them from across the hall, growling and snarling at them while drool and blood dripped from its mouth.

He raised a bloodied paw and dragged his claws across the wall beside him, creating a loud scraping sound and leaving behind streaks of blood in his wake. His feet sported sharp claws, too, and they also left behind bloodied footprints. The smell of blood and death lingered in the air, and Plushtrap ignored the human's pleas for mercy as he screeched and ran at them full speed, fast enough to reach them in less than five seconds.

He grabbed hold of Zero's shirt and yanked him hard towards himself, puncturing Zero's jugular vein without any hesitation whatsoever. As Zero bled out on the floor, Plushtrap turned to Jex.

The damaged rabbit's teeth buried themselves firmly into Jex's throat. The human felt a blinding pain as something was ripped out of his body, and then he could no longer breathe. He felt the warm sticky sensation of blood flowing over his hands as he reached up to grasp at his neck.

The last thing Jex saw before everything faded into nothing, were Plushtrap's teeth, biting into his face.

Then, he no longer felt anything at all.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Aaron ran up to his brother's motionless body and tried to separate the animatronic's jaws from Benny's head. He heard the distant sound of an ambulance's siren quickly growing nearer every second, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone had called for an ambulance.

He heard growling behind him, and turned around to see Plushtrap staring at him, bloodied and still angry. Aaron gasped as it strode towards him, never breaking or halting its stride. "Wait, wait! I didn't do anything, I didn't-"

Plushtrap dug his claws into Aaron's leg, causing him to fall backwards against the gold animatronic and onto the ground. Plushtrap grabbed his shirt collar and forcefully yanked his friend's former tormentor towards him, bearing his blood-slicked teeth at the human. Staring directly into his terrified eyes, Plushtrap raised a paw and raked his claws hard against Aaron's face, cutting into his cheek deep enough to draw blood.

As Aaron prepared himself to face certain death at the hands of his brother's friend, Plushtrap suddenly released his hold on him and walked away, stepping outside along with Freddy and reverting to its inanimate state. Aaron felt his cheek and pulled back his hand as it began stinging. It had obviously been a warning, then. A reminder not to hurt anyone else, and also a reminder of what Plushtrap was capable of doing to him. The wound would become a scar.

Pulling himself together, Aaron got up and continued his efforts to free his brother from the clutches of the Fredbear animatronic. He was not strong enough to open the robot's mouth wide enough to see the extent of the damage that his friends had inflicted upon his brother, but if he had to judge from the amount of blood that was still leaking out of him, it was pretty bad.

He prayed again for the ambulance to get here before his brother died, and continued trying to wrench the mouth open until the EMT's arrived to assist him. One of them guided him to the ambulance and gave him hot cocoa and a blanket. Aaron sat down in the back of the vehicle, shivering, as tears fell from his eyes, and he began to cry.

 **A/N: Plushtrap is a beast! Anyway, there will only be one more chapter after this, and then the story will be finished.**


	8. The End

Aaron walked into the room where Benny had been moved into. He placed Freddy and Plushtrap on the counter, and he had been sure to run home and wash the blood out of their fur before bringing them with him to see Benny.

The room was dark and empty, the lights from the machines the only thing providing enough light to see anything. Aaron did not think to turn on the lights in the room, as he figured that the creatures he brought along for the trip would also like to see their friend one last time.

He stared at his brother's body, lying motionless in the hospital bed, his head concealed in bandages. "I didn't want it to go like this," he choked, his voice thick with tears. "I tried to be better."

 _"But you failed,"_ a voice snarled angrily in his head, making him jump with brief shock before his eyes landed on the two plushies that stood alive before him on the counter, _"and now Benny is dying because of you."_

The golden bear stepped forward, and Aaron saw the expression on its face. Anger and resentment. _"I promised him that I would keep him safe until he was old enough, but you ruined our plans. I was going to take him someplace safe from you, from everything that could have harmed him. But you damaged him so severely that I was afraid that you would eventually kill him. And now look at him. Broken beyond repair."_

Aaron tore his eyes away from his brother's body, unable to look at him any longer. "One of the last things he said to me was that he hoped I could get you to trust me one day."

 _"The chances of that happening are highly unlikely, but you may try if you wish."_ Freddy responded, walking up to the bed, taking Benny's hand in his paw and rubbing it affectionately. _"Though I do not believe that Plushtrap will ever trust you after this. He would still like to kill you."_

Aaron's gaze moved to the yellow rabbit plush which now stood next to the chair he was sitting in, and Plushtrap growled at him menacingly. He cleared his throat nervously. "Look, I know I fucked up, but I really tried to be better to him at the party. I tried to keep him away from Eric and the others."

 _"You do not mean what you say. I know humans like you are hardly ever honest, and just like your friends, you would say anything to protect yourself from harm. What I told Benny is true. You are selfish, you are a coward." Freddy stepped closer, nearly touching him now, "And more importantly, you should die for what you did to my friend. You hurt him over the course of years, even before the tragic loss of your family."_

Aaron started speaking then, trying to defend himself, but Plushtrap cut him off with a loud snarl as Freddy continued: "All of those nights I spent calming him and comforting him after you would physically harm him for the purpose of satisfying your own twisted desires made me realize that you would never really change. I held out hope that things would get better, but they never did."

"I was only mad at him because I thought-" Aaron began, only to be cut off again by Plushtrap snarling next to him.

 _"I do not want to hear your lies and excuses,"_ Freddy said harshly, his glowing eyes narrowing with distrust. _"Benny could not understand why you acted so hostile towards him, but I think I know the real reason. You blamed him for your family's demise. You could not find anyone else to blame for their untimely and sudden deaths, so you chose him to torment, and cast the blame onto him. You knew that he did nothing wrong, but none of that mattered to you."_

Aaron shifted in his chair and started to get up but stopped when Plushtrap's eyes turned red. He sat back down, gaze moving between the two creatures, nervous and worried for his own safety.

 _"Despite everything that he endured, he still loved you through it all."_ Freddy's eyes shone with fondness and admiration for the child that lay feet from him, the monitors calculating his heartbeats and breathing patterns the only sounds in the room for several minutes while the golden plush climbed onto the bed and lay his head on Benny's chest, feeling and hearing the sound of his heart beating weakly, the machines the only thing keeping him alive now.

 _"I find it quite remarkable that he never started hating you until only days before the party."_ Freddy stated as he gently licked Benny's face, his version of an affectionate kiss. _"He only began viewing you in a negative light after I told him, quite truthfully in fact, that you were one of the bad ones. I still believe that to be true, and now it will be extremely difficult to convince me otherwise."_

"I know he hated me," Aaron said, tears streaking his face as he cried, feeling a pain so deep that he doubted it would ever truly heal, "and I know I hurt him, but I don't know how I can make this right."

 _"You cannot fix this, Aaron. I have resented you from the very first day he brought me home with him. I could sense that there was something not right with you, and I was proven correct that same day. That was the first time I saw you harm him. You did hurt him that day, did you not? You remember, I am sure."_

Aaron nodded, wiping his eyes on his shirt sleeve. "Yes, I do remember. I was mad at him because he'd went to the neighbor's house to play when I had told him not to."

 _"And you hurt him bad. He screamed for you to stop, pleaded with you to stop and listen to him while he tried to explain himself, but you were not willing to hear his side of the story, were you? You beat him so bad that he could barely breathe. He hardly slept that night, instead he lay awake, crying softly until dawn. But you did not care that he was suffering, you never even acknowledged it. You only thought of yourself and your own needs, and that is the definition of a selfish human. You don't have a good bone in your entire body, you have been so corrupted with self-hatred and despair that you refuse to stop and think of how you make those around you feel. I despise you for that."_

"I promise to be better from now on," Aaron said, his voice thick with sadness, "and I will be a good person. I will redeem myself."

 _"It is too late for that now. You had plenty of chances for redemption when he was still in good health. Now he is fading quickly, and I overheard his caretakers saying that he won't have more than a few hours left until he is gone forever. These machines are doing what they can for him, but they are not enough to keep him here with us."_

He turned to Aaron, bearing his teeth and snarling softly. _"The way I see it, you played a part in his demise. I am placing the blame solely upon you, because you are most deserving of it. Plushtrap would have killed you at the party if I hadn't sensed a flicker of life still in my friend's body. The only reason he spared you was because Benny was more important, he was our priority and we wanted to be with him until he passed. Once he dies, I cannot promise your safety. Plushtrap might still kill you, and you are only alive now so you can see the consequences of your actions, and the damage you have caused us."_

The elder human sniffled and placed his head in his hands, sobbing with grief, his face wet with tears.

 _"There is no redemption for you, not after this."_ Freddy snapped at him, uncaring of his sadness and guilt. _"You will suffer for this outcome. I did not want this to happen to him! I feel as though I failed him, and even if me and Plushtrap get sold to another family, no matter how far away we are from you, we will find you and we will kill you if we feel that you are no longer worthy of living."_

Aaron remained silent, struggling to think of something to say. He was fearful of the fact that his life was now in the hands of these demonic plushies that he had not known were alive until a few days prior.

 _"I really do believe that the ones you called 'friends' did deserve what Plushtrap did to them."_ Freddy said, his gaze still fixated on Benny, the one he had loved so dearly, _"They acted like monsters, so he treated them as such."_

"But I didn't know that they would take it that far!" Aaron insisted desperately, standing up in a brief moment of defiance. "They didn't tell me that they changed the plan!"

 _"Sit back down, or I will allow Plushtrap to hurt you."_ Freddy growled at him angrily, his eyes flashing red for a second. Aaron obeyed, quickly seating himself again.

 _"The others who participated in your plan were just as bad as you are, though I would not be surprised if they were even worse than you. We saw what they were doing to you right before it happened. I imagine your prior behavior was learned through them?"_

"Yes, it was." Aaron confirmed, his breathing shaky and erratic, "I wanted to be accepted into their group."

 _"I am not surprised that it took you this long to realize they never liked you."_ Freddy said, gently stroking Benny's face with his claws, _"You are not a very intelligent individual, are you?"_

Aaron did not respond, as he knew that the question was rhetorical. He watched with an aching heart as Freddy moved to settle against Benny's side, positioning himself so he could still keep an eye on the Aaron while he cuddled with the child.

 _"Your friends did this to him, and they got what was coming to them. To see such disregard for the life of another, that just isn't right. They didn't deserve to live, and now that they are dead, the world is a better place."_

Aaron could do nothing but nod in agreement, admitting to himself that they were right to assume that. Eric and Jex had led him to believe that they were his friends, and they had betrayed him and forced him to watch as the rest of the group carried out their malicious intentions for Benny.

That day he had finally realized that he had been manipulated all this time, and he had not even noticed until it was too late. Now, he wished that he could take it all back and prevent himself from ever harming his little brother, and every single mean-spirited word he had said to him.

But he couldn't, and he knew that. He had to carry the weight of his past decisions with him forever, there would be no avoiding that now.

"I'm sorry I hurt him," he said sadly, "and I wish I could turn back the clock. I should have never taken him to that party in the first place. He didn't even really want to go."

 _"No, he did not."_ Freddy said, caressing Benny's hand and holding it in his own paws to let the child know he was here with him. " _If you had only listened to his concerns and had taken them into account, perhaps he would still be well and fine. All of this would have never happened."_

Plushtrap made a whimpering noise, full of fear and pain while he also crawled up into the bed to cuddle and be with Benny when he died. He looked at Aaron and snarled, teeth showing menacingly.

 _"Plushtrap would like you to leave."_ Freddy translated for Aaron.

"But I wanna be here when he.." Aaron stopped, gesturing to his brother's prone form.

 _"Please. Leave."_ Freddy repeated, gazing mournfully at him. _"He does not have much longer now."_

He nodded and stood up. "Okay. I understand." He started toward the door, turning back once more before he left. "I love you, Benny." He said softly. Then he was gone.

 _"I am sorry this happened to you,"_ Freddy whispered to Benny, hoping he could still hear them even now. _"and I am sorry I could not do more to keep you safe. This is our fault. I should have let you leave with me to a place far away from here. Then you would still be awake and unharmed. You would be as you were before, happy and well."_

The machines began to falter, and his heartbeats grew slower and further apart.

 _"I cannot help you now. I cannot prevent this from happening. I have failed you, and I only have myself to blame for this."_

Plushtrap glanced at the machines, as Benny's breathing and oxygen levels rapidly began to plummet toward zero. He let out another frightened squeak and held onto Benny tighter.

Freddy knew what was happening. He clung to Benny's shirt. _"I love you, Benny. We both love you so dearly."_

His heart rate and oxygen reached 0.

 _"Please don't go."_

The piercing noises of the machines filled the room as Benny stopped breathing completely, and flatlined.

 **A/N: I actually cried at the end. I don't wanna let Benny go, either, so I feel their pain. This is the end of this story, but how would you all feel about a possible sequel? If you would like that, feel free to send me your ideas for what you would like to see happen for it either via PM or in the reviews. Thank you for reading.**


	9. Announcement

Hey everyone! I hope this day finds you well and in good health? Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that due to high demand, I WILL be working on a sequel to this story fairly soon. In the meantime, I am also currently working on a one-shot set a few weeks before 'Nightmares And Monsters,' and I plan on making it pretty long, so keep on the lookout for that as well! I should have it done in the next week or so (or possibly sooner) if I'm not too busy with work and life in general.

Let me know your thoughts on the one-shot idea? Its just something to tide you all over while I think of ideas for the sequel, and if it pleases the majority, I might make more of them in the future! I do have a lot of gaps to fill for the main story, and I would like to delve a little more into what Benny and Freddy did in their downtime, when they weren't worrying about other threats.


End file.
